This invention relates to the art of producing silicon carbide and, more particularly, to improvements in the production of silicon carbide in the form of crystals and whiskers.
It is of course well known that silicon carbide occurs in two crystal forms, one of which is particulate in nature and the other of which is in the form of elongated crystal fibers known as whiskers and which generally have a diameter of a few microns and a length of several millimeters. The particulate form, referred to hereinafter as silicon carbide crystals, is of value as an abrasive material, and silicon carbide whiskers have high stiffness and tensile strength as well as thermal stability which render the whiskers of considerable value as a reinforcing material for incorporation into metals and plastics. Many processes using a variety of materials have been proposed heretofore for producing silicon carbide whiskers and/or silicon carbide crystals. However, in connection with the production of silicon carbide whiskers in particular, either the high cost of processing equipment and/or the materials to be processed and/or the low yield of whiskers from such materials have resulted in the cost of producing whiskers being extremely high, whereby the availability of the advantages thereof to industry has been undesirably limited.